


Finding Chase

by ZebraLily112



Category: PAW Patrol
Genre: Animal care, Animals, Chase is a strong pup, Day Off, Flashbacks, Gen, Happy Ending, I Can't Believe I Wrote This, I Tried, Mistakes are my own, Original Character(s), PAW Patrol references, Play Time, Please Don't Hate Me, Ryder is a great caretaker, Sad with a Happy Ending, Saving a Life, Some Plot, Some Spoilers, Spring, Veterinary Clinic, What Was I Thinking?, Winter, back story, curious, kinda sad, the pups have a day off
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-30
Updated: 2018-11-30
Packaged: 2019-09-02 16:32:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,142
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16790584
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZebraLily112/pseuds/ZebraLily112
Summary: Got the idea for this little fic while channel surfing and watching a few episodes of PAW Patrol.While enjoying a day of no rescues or calls, Ryder lets the pups play at the park. While they're enjoying the day, Katie decides to ask a question. How did Ryder acquire Chase? The story itself seems to make Ryder somber, will he reveal how Chase came into his care? Is it really that bad?





	Finding Chase

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own PAW Patrol or any of its characters, so please don't sue me! But I do own Liz and Dr. Ronald Mason (kinda). I DO however own Zell, so PLEASE DO NOT TAKE HER!
> 
> Note: I have not seen all the episodes of PAW Patrol, so keep this in mind as you read. Also, keep in mind this is a work of fiction and my own imagination.

Spring in Adventure Bay was always interesting, it was either sunny and content, the scent of flowers floating through the air, or gray and rainy making everything feel dreary and downright boring. Luckily, today was a beautiful sunny day with a blue sky above, allowing white puffy clouds to drift by as a warm breeze twisted by playfully. It was the perfect day to do something outside! The grass was finally green and dry, very few patches of mud were left, and the flowers were blooming! Many residents of Adventure Bay were taking advantage of the weather, finding numerous outdoor activities to keep them occupied. No one was sure if the weather would stay like this, so they decided to enjoy it while it was around.

The sounds of laughter and barking could be heard at the park, a few citizens were there walking the paths, playing sports, or having picnics while a pack of playful pups enjoyed the day. Everyone in Adventure Bay knew them, the canine members of the PAW Patrol! Marshall, Rubble, Chase, Rocky, Zuma, Skye, and even Everest were at the park today, while Tracker was in the jungle trying to find an ancient artifact with Carlos. The pups were happily chasing each other around in a spirited game of tag, as Ryder sat nearby under his favorite tree working on some important research, several books were to the right of him as he wrote a few things down on some papers that were on a lap-desk he made. Occasionally, Ryder would glance up to make sure the pups were fine, but found that he didn't have to worry much, sure Marshall was a clumsy pup, but he always seemed to be okay if he tripped or fell.

"Hey pups!" a voice called "Hey Ryder!"

The pups stopped and ran over yelling "Katie!"

The blond girl happily pet the pups as her cat Cali walked past and laid down a short distance from Ryder. After the pups received enough attention, they went back to their game of tag, barking and yipping playfully. Katie shook her head at their antics and walked over to the tree and sat down.

"Slow day for rescues?" she asked

Ryder closed the book at the top of his short stack and leaned back against the tree a bit as he watched the pups play.

"Haven't gotten a single call." Ryder replied "It's kinda nice actually."

Katie giggled "I'm surprised you're not looking at your phone every few minutes hoping for a call."

Ryder smiled "I enjoy what little down time we get just as much as they do."

The two looked to the pack of pups who were now chasing a red ball that Marshall had brought to the park. Ryder smiled as he watched them, his team of adventurous pups have come a long way.

"Ryder... can I ask you something?" Katie spoke up

"Sure." Ryder replied

"Well... we all know how you acquired Rubble." Katie said

"Found him in a tree." Ryder supplied

Katie leaned back "Everyone knows how Everest came into the team."

Ryder shifted "She rescued Jake."

"And you told me how you found Zuma and Rocky." Katie continued 

"The Playful Pups Pound." Ryder said

"Skye was a gift from your Grandmother a month before she passed." Katie went on

Ryder nodded "Yes, she was."

"And Marshall was given to you by the firefighters in the neighboring town because they couldn't keep him and didn't want him to be taken to the shelter." Katie stated

"I'm honored that they thought of me." Ryder shrugged as he smiled

Katie shifted "I bet... but, I don't think I've ever asked how you acquired Chase."

Ryder suddenly went quiet, his brown eyes on the pups, especially Chase who had the red ball in his mouth running away from the others with a smile on his muzzle. Out of all the members of the PAW Patrol, Chase had the saddest back story, and something that still made Ryder want to tear up.

"Ryder, are you okay?" Katie asked worriedly

The brown haired male shook himself back into reality "Yeah, sorry about that."

"Did I over-step?" Katie asked

"No." Ryder replied "It's just... how I found Chase is not exactly all positive."

"It's really that bad?" Katie asked curiously

Ryder sighed "In a way, yes. I'm glad I found him, and that he's so strong and healthy... but it was a struggle. He had to fight to get to where he is now."

Katie blinked "If you don't want to go any further than that, it's okay... but how did you find Chase? And how did he have to fight?"

Ryder closed his eyes for a moment "I found him in an alley... all alone, cold... and barely alive."

Flashback...

Ryder stretched out his back, a few cracks and pops resulted from the motion as he sat in one the wooden chairs of the library. He was almost done with his English paper! Ryder still didn't understand why his teacher assigned it to the class with Christmas vacation being only two days away, but Ryder was determined to get it done. He had walked down to the library about two hours ago, snow slowly falling but it didn't look too bad and he knew that Rocky, Zuma and Marshall would be okay for just a little while longer. Sure the three pups were quite young, but they were falling asleep when he left... with any luck, they would be waking up from their nap when he returned.

"Excuse me, dear." a voice greeted

Ryder looked up to see the friendly face of the librarian named Liz, but the friendly look was also etched with a touch of seriousness and concern.

"I know you're still working, but we're closing early." Liz stated "A snow storm is coming in, and things are looking really nasty out there."

Ryder nodded "Of course, thank you for telling me."

"Sure thing, do you need to call anyone to get you home?" Liz asked

"I walked here, and I don't want to risk anyone out on the roads." Ryder replied "I'm sure I'll be okay."

"Nonsense, Ryder." a male voice spoke up "I'll drive ya."

"Farmer Al." Ryder greeted "I didn't know you were here."

"Came in looking for a few books to read." Farmer Al stated "C'mon, I'll take ya home."

Ryder smiled "Thank you."

"It's no problem, I parked across the street." Farmer Al said

Ryder put his textbooks, the papers, and the book he checked out in his backpack zipping it closed as he stood up. As Farmer Al talked with Liz, Ryder put his coat back on, zipping it up, put on his gloves and hat.

"All set." Ryder stated

"Alright, you have a good day now, Liz." Farmer Al smiled

The two males left the library, Liz turning off the lights behind them. The instant they were outside, a cold wind blew in like a slap to the face, Farmer Al adjusted his coat and scarf.

"Good thing Liz watches the Weather Channel." he shivered "It's not looking good out here, and it could only get worse."

"I had no idea... I checked the weather before I left, the radar didn't show any signs of this." Ryder said

The two carefully crossed the street, but there were very few cars out... it looked like everyone was hunkering down inside their homes until the storm passed. Ryder smiled in relief when he saw Farmer Al's truck, he made a mental note to make some hot chocolate for himself and some warm chow for the pups when he got back to the Lookout.

"Okay, let's see about getting you home." Farmer Al stated

Ryder opened up the passenger-side door, but a strange sound made him stop. He stood there for a moment, trying to figure out if it was the wind or something else.

"You okay, Ryder?" Farmer Al asked

"I thought I heard something." Ryder replied "It sounded like a faint whimper."

Ryder let go of the door and headed away from the truck, the very faint sounds leading him to a nearby alley, he could hear Farmer Al following him but didn't say anything... something was in this alley... he was sure of it. The sound came again, slightly louder, but not by much. Something was whimpering! But what? As Ryder made his way by an over-turned trashcan, he saw a cardboard box on the cold ground, the side of it reading: "Oak Haven Tea: Chase the Blues Away". The brown haired male bent down slightly, he could see a very thin piece of cloth in the box, carefully he used a gloved hand to move it aside and gasped. Under the fabric was a very small German Shepard puppy! The little pup was shivering violently and letting out the occasional whimper.

"You poor thing." Ryder whispered

Farmer Al gasped "Who would leave a puppy out here in this weather?"

"I have no idea." Ryder replied "But I can't leave it here."

Carefully, Ryder eased his gloved hands under the pup and lifted it out of the box. Farmer Al unwound his scarf from his neck and wrapped it around the shivering pup, the little one whimpered again but seemed to borrow weakly into the warmth of the scarf.

"The Animal Hospital is on the way to the Lookout, let's go." Farmer Al said

The two quickly and carefully got back to the truck and got in, Farmer Al started it up and turned the heat on as Ryder cradled the wrapped pup close to his chest, making sure some of the heat could try and warm up the poor thing. Ryder observed the tiny canine, it had to be quite young... probably not even old enough to be away from its mother, but it was definitely a German Shepard judging by the color of its fur and the shape of the muzzle.

"I know some people abandon animals, but why would someone leave such a young pup outside in the middle of winter?" Farmer Al asked "It's just not right."

"I agree... but at least we got this little one out of the weather." Ryder replied "Hopefully the Animal Hospital can help."

"They'll do their best, the veterinarian Dr. Ronald Mason is one of the best around." Farmer Al assured

Luck seemed to be on their side for the ride to the Animal Hospital, none of the traffic lights turned red, all of them stayed green. The one thing that was greatly concerning Ryder was that the pup had stopped shivering and whimpering... this could be a good thing or a bad thing, he knew this. Farmer Al, pulled into the parking lot and the two hopped out of the truck, glad to see that the lights of the building were still on. Ryder went in first with Farmer Al right behind him, the door jingled causing the black haired girl behind the counter to look up.

"Ryder." she stated "Farmer Al, my goodness what has you two out in such weather?"

"I found this little pup in an alley, Zell." Ryder replied "I don't think it's doing too well."

Zell looked to the bundle in Ryder's arm and blinked, she went over to Ryder and gently received the pup from him.

"Dr. Mason will do what he can." Zell said "You can wait if you want, but it'll be a good while, and I know you have three pups to look after back at the Lookout."

"They're probably awake and wondering where I am." Ryder nodded "Give me a call when you can?"

"I'll make sure of it personally." Zell assured

With that said, Zell disappeared into the back room with the pup still in her arms. Part of Ryder wanted to stay and wait, but Rocky, Zuma, and Marshall needed his attention too. So he and Farmer Al left the Animal Hospital and headed to the Lookout. Ryder apologized for Farmer Al possibly not getting his scarf back, but the older man said he didn't mind, that he had others back home that he could use. After only a few minute ride, Ryder was dropped off at the Lookout, he thanked Farmer Al several times and headed inside. Zuma rushed over barking, thus waking up Rocky and Marshall. Ryder smiled as they all greeted him with barking as he took off his winter gear and started working on some warm dinner for them and heating up some dinner for himself. It felt good to be home, but his mind wandered to the helpless pup he found and hoped that it would be okay.

Hours passed, and the snow storm had increased greatly. The wind howled outside, which made Ryder want to shiver and the pups to huddle close to him as they sat in the nice warm lounge area watching How to Train Your Dragon. Just as the movie ended, Ryder's cellphone rang the caller ID showing that it was Zell.

"Hello?" Ryder answered

"Hey Ryder, get back safely?" Zell asked

"Thanks to Farmer Al, yes." Ryder replied

"I'm calling with some good news, and some bad news." Zell stated honestly

"Okay." Ryder said "What can you tell me?"

"The little guy you brought in made it through all our tests, and is in our ICU room." Zell replied "The next 24 to 36 hours are going to be very critical, Dr. Mason is surprised that he survived the trip here given he's so young."

"How old is he?" Ryder asked

"Only about five weeks." Zell replied

Ryder cringed, that wasn't good. Could a pup so young survive this? Was he too late finding the pup? Was the little guy going to... die?

"You did a good thing Ryder." Zell said breaking Ryder's thoughts "Even if he doesn't make it, at least he isn't in the cold any more."

"I know." Ryder said, his voice thick with growing sadness "I wish I could have done more."

"You did what you could." Zell stated "Just keep your thoughts positive, and pray for him."

Ryder nodded "Thank you Zell, please keep me updated."

"I will." Zell assured

End Flashback...

Katie sat there, a stunned look on her face as Ryder continued to watch the pups chase each other around, Zuma now had the ball and was almost intercepted by a determined Rocky. Sharing Chase's story with anyone always made Ryder's eyes glisten and sometimes he even cried, he still couldn't imagine why anyone would abandon such a young pup let alone leave them in the cold.

"So, Chase had to fight for his life." Katie stated

Ryder nodded "After the snow storm and clearing away a lot of snow, I went back down to the Animal Hospital to visit whenever I could. I asked Mr. Porter to pup-sit for me, I didn't want Rocky, Zuma, and Marshall thinking that they were going there for something bad."

"That makes sense." Katie said

"Slowly, Chase's condition improved." Ryder continued "Dr. Mason was beyond words, he thought that... nature would take its course within the first 36 hours, but it never happened."

Katie blinked "Wow. So what happened when he was able to leave the Animal Hospital?"

Ryder smiled "Zell called me and asked if I would like to take in the pup I found, I instantly accepted and got the supplies I would need. I told Rocky, Zuma, and Marshall that we would be getting a new member to the group, they were so excited... but I did have to warn them that their new friend was younger than them and needed special care for a while, they understood."

Flashback...

Ryder couldn't keep the smile off his face as he carried the German Shepard pup in his arms, the little guy looked so much better! The pup was bright and alert, curious brown eyes looking around at everything, his ears occasionally moving to listen to new sounds.

"You're going to love your new home." Ryder said "You'll even have some friends to play with."

The pup looked up at Ryder, trusting brown eyes looking straight into his soul. The little pup believed every word Ryder was saying, he could tell.

"I'll take good care of you, bud." Ryder said "Just like the other pups."

The papers, medication, and special formula Zell gave him were in a tote bag he had taken down with him, knowing that he would need it for the issues the pup was still dealing with but luckily nothing too serious. It wouldn't be the first time Ryder had to use some form of medication for a pup, Rocky had a horrible ear infection when Ryder took him in.

"Here we are." Ryder said going through the doors of the Lookout "Your new home."

The pup looked around from his position in Ryder's arms, taking in all the new sights as his little nose twitched. Ryder was expecting the other three pups to come charging toward him, but was surprised to see them calmly and quietly coming over. To make things easy for them, Ryder moved over to a bean-bag chair and sat down, he put the bag down and opened up the box of special formula. Zuma appeared by the bean-bag chair first, as Ryder shook the bottle as he was instructed to do by Dr. Mason and quietly waited for the others to come over. He knew that forcing them would be a bad idea, so he stayed quiet and let them come over on their terms. Hearing the shaking bottle, the pup in his arms squirmed a bit with a hungry whimper, Ryder moved his arms slightly so he had more mobility and moved the bottle closer until the little pup latched on.

Marshall and Rocky appeared next to Zuma, their curious eyes on their new friend. They leaned slightly forward to sniff the new pup, who was happily drinking the formula but his eyes were on the three other canines.

"He's so little." Zuma stated

"He'll grow." Ryder said with a smile looking at the paws of the new pup

"Is he going to be on our team?" Marshall asked "Train with us?"

"When he's big enough, yes." Ryder replied

"Cool!" Rocky said "What kind of training? What pup is he gonna be?"

Ryder looked down at the pup in question and thought back to the research he did on the German Shepard while the pup was getting better.

"Police pup." Ryder decided

"Awesome!" Marshall said

Rocky sniffed the pup again "What's his name?"

Truth be told, Ryder had been thinking of that since the very first night after finding the pup in the alley. He thought of everything, the weather, Farmer Al's kindness, the alley... but especially the box that he found the pup in.

Ryder smiled "Chase."

**Author's Note:**

> I hoped you enjoyed this little fic! Please remember: this is a work of fiction and my own imagination! Enjoy the rest of your day!


End file.
